scholarly journals Molecular systematics of the Sicista tianschanica species complex: a contribution from historical DNA analysis

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10759
Author(s):  
Vladimir S. Lebedev ◽  
Yulia Kovalskaya ◽  
Evgeniya N. Solovyeva ◽  
Elena D. Zemlemerova ◽  
Anna A. Bannikova ◽  
...  

The Tianshan birch mouse Sicista tianschanica is an endemic of the Central Asian mountains and has previously been shown to include several karyomorphs (“Terskey”, “Talgar”, “Dzungar”); however, the taxonomic status of these forms has remained uncertain. We examined the genetic variation in S. tianschanica based on historical DNA samples from museum collections, including the type series. Mitochondrial and nuclear data indicated that the species complex includes two major clades: Northern (N) and Southern (S) (cytb distance 13%). The N clade corresponds to the “Dzungar” karyomorph (Dzungar Alatau, Tarbagatay). The S clade is comprised of four lineages (S1–S4) divergent at 6–8%; the relationships among which are resolved incompletely. The S1 lineage is found in eastern Tianshan and corresponds to the nominal taxon. The S2 is distributed in central and northern Tianshan and corresponds to the “Terskey” karyomorph. The S3 is restricted to Trans-Ili Alatau and belongs to the “Talgar” karyomorph. The S4 is represented by a single specimen from southeastern Dzungar Alatau with "Talgar" karyotype. No interlineage gene flow was revealed. The validity of S. zhetysuica (equivalent to the N clade) is supported. Based on genetic and karyotypic evidence, lineages S2 and S3 are described as distinct species. The status of the S4 requires further investigation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 240 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Umbrello ◽  
P. A. Woolley ◽  
M. Westerman

The status of Pseudantechinus roryi relative to its congeners has been determined from DNA sequences obtained from both nuclear and mitochondrial gene loci. Although all other recognised species of Pseudantechinus form reciprocally monophyletic lineages in phylogenetic analyses, individuals identified in museum collections as Ps. roryi (including type specimens) were indistinguishable from those identified as Ps. macdonnellensis. Ps. roryi is thus considered to be a synonym of Ps. macdonnellensis. Neighbour-joining network analyses failed to reveal any clear biogeographic differences between populations of Ps. macdonnellensis other than some evidence of isolation by distance.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2754 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARC RIUS ◽  
PETER R. TESKE

Pyura stolonifera is a large solitary ascidian found in Africa, Australasia and South America. The taxonomic status of different populations of this species is disputed, especially since there is evidence for several distinct morphological and genetic units that point towards the existence of multiple cryptic species. While some researchers still recognize P. stolonifera as a single species, others treat the different populations as distinct species. Here, we present a revision of the P. stolonifera species complex based on the examination of samples from all regions where there are reliable reports of this taxon. We recognize four species that are both morphologically and genetically distinct, one of which is new to science and is formally described here. This species is morphologically distinct from the other three members of the species complex in terms of the colour and texture of the tunic, the arrangement of the gonads within the gut and the shape of the dorsal tubercle, among other characters. We name the new species Pyura dalbyi after Dr. J.E. Dalby Jr., whose research on its ecology and distribution provided the incentive for examining this species more closely.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2714 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
BONNIE B. BLAIMER

The taxonomy of the Malagasy Crematogaster (Decacrema) is revised and a total of six distinct species and one species-complex are recognized. Malagasy Decacrema are widespread ants in Madagascar that nest almost exclusively arboreally, either in carton nests or inside dead twigs or branches, and often tend Coccoidea. Four species are newly described here: Crematogaster mahery sp. nov., C. malala sp. nov., C. sabatra sp. nov. and C. sisa sp. nov.. The species status of Crematogaster grevei Forel 1891 is confirmed by the study, and one described subspecies, C. hova nosibeensis Forel 1891 is raised to species level (C. nosibeensis stat. nov.) and a neotype designated. Crematogaster hova latinoda Forel 1891 is synonymised under C. hova Forel 1887, and the taxonomic status of C. hova, C. ensifera Forel 1910 and C. schencki Forel 1891 is further investigated, but could not be resolved with methods employed here. The C. hova-complex, a species-complex consisting of five morphological forms, is hence defined and the three described species above are associated with these morphotypes. Full descriptions including natural history information are presented for all species and the species-complex, as well as images, distribution maps and a species-identification key to the workers of Malagasy Decacrema. A diagnosis of the Malagasy Decacrema and identification keys to the subgenera of the ant genus Crematogaster in the Malagasy region are also provided.


Author(s):  
Felipe Silva De Andrade ◽  
Isabelle Aquemi Haga ◽  
Mariana Lúcio Lyra ◽  
Thiago Ribeiro De Carvalho ◽  
Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad ◽  
...  

The Neotropical frog genus Pseudopaludicola includes 25 species distributed throughout South America. Herein we review the taxonomic status of P. parnaiba relative to P. canga and the specific identity of the population treated in previous studies as Pseudopaludicola sp. 3 from Barreirinhas in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The lack of differentiation in advertisement call, morphology, and mitochondrial markers from topotypes and different populations rejects the status of P. parnaiba and Pseudopaludicola sp. 3 from Barreirinhas as distinct species. For these reasons, we suggest to formally consider P. parnaiba as a junior synonym of P. canga. We also found that a population previously reported as P. facureae from central Brazil (Palmeiras de Goiás, Goiás) corresponds to a cryptic species that we describe here as a new species. Lastly, we provide for the first time the phylogenetic positions of P. giarettai, P. llanera and P. pusilla.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4350 (3) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
AIDAS SALDAITIS ◽  
ANTON V. VOLYNKIN ◽  
BALÁZS BENEDEK

Xylena czernilai Volynkin, 2011 was described on the base of a single male from the Russian Altai Mts. (Volynkin 2011). Later, two externally similar taxa, Xylena alexander Benedek, Babics & Saldaitis, 2013 and Xylena andreas Benedek, Babics & Saldaitis, 2013 were described from Sichuan province, China each on the base of a single female (Benedek et al. 2013). In the same year, a female of X. czernilai was described by Volynkin & Knyazev (2013). The female genitalia of X. czernilai are surprisingly similar to those of the both Chinese species therefore we decided to use a DNA analysis to clarify the status of these three taxa. For the analysis we sampled a female of X. czernilai from the Russian Altai, a male of X. czernilai from the Russian Far East and the holotypes of X. alexander and X. andreas. The analysis of COI barcodes of the sampled specimens has shown that X. alexander and X. andreas are conspecific (the difference is 0.15 %), and their COI sequences differ from those of X. czernilai in 0.93 % only. Such difference is too small to treat Chinese populations as a distinct species (for example, the difference between X. czernilai and its closest relative X. vetusta (Hübner, [1813]) is 4.61% . The detailed morphological comparison of czernilai and vetusta has been given by Volynkin (2011) (Fig. 1) therefore here we synonymize X. alexander and X. andreas with X. czernilai. 


2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric B. Taylor ◽  
Les N. Harris ◽  
Erin K. Spice ◽  
Margaret F. Docker

Parapatric freshwater and anadromous parasitic lampreys (Petromyzontiformes) from southwestern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, have been described as distinct taxa (Vancouver lamprey ( Entosphenus macrostomus (Beamish, 1982)) and Pacific lamprey ( Entosphenus tridentatus (Richardson, 1836)), respectively), using morphology, life history, and physiology. We tested for genetic differentiation at microsatellite DNA loci between these taxa and similar freshwater parasitic lampreys from two other lakes. The number of alleles and expected heterozygosity averaged 3.8 and 0.50, respectively, across loci and populations, and anadromous populations were more variable than freshwater populations. Population subdivision was moderate (FST = 0.096, P < 0.001) and 3% of the total variation was found between taxa and 1.7% was found among populations within taxa (both P < 0.001). Parapatric freshwater and anadromous parasitic lampreys separated by a maximum of 40 km were more distinct (mean FST = 0.042) than were anadromous populations located 800 km from one another (mean FST = 0.012). Localities within lakes with parasitic freshwater lampreys, however, showed little differentiation (FST = 0.0–0.08). Our data support recognizing E. macrostomus and E. tridentatus as distinct species, but similar levels of differentiation between these taxa and other freshwater parasitic lampreys suggest a species complex where the taxonomy remains unclear.


1963 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Fennah

Ten nominal species of DELPHACIDAE have hitherto been regarded as synonymous with Sogata, furcifera (Horv.), which is notorious as a pest of Graminaceous crops in eastern Asia. In a recent study it was established that two members of this complex represented distinct species, and it was accordingly considered necessary to re-examine the status of the remainder: the results of such a study are reported in this paper. The members of this complex now recognised as distinct species number more than twenty: some are restored from synonymy and others are described as new, and all, as appropriate, are referred to one of three genera, Matutinus Distant, Sogatella Fennah (here accorded generic status) and a new genus, Sogatodes. Most of the species in the complex are redescribed and a key is given for the separation of all.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Wilson Freshwater ◽  
Laila Shahnaz

Abstract Two species of Gelidium, Gelidium usmanghanii and Gelidium pusillum var. pakistanicum are reported only from Pakistan, but their taxonomic status, phylogenetic relationships, and distributions have not been assessed with molecular data. Analysis of rbcL sequences revealed that G. usmanghanii was a distinct species with a distribution extending at least to the coast of Oman. This analysis also resolved G. pusillum var. pakistanicum within a Gelidium millariana species complex that was distantly related to G. pusillum. Further analyses of rbcL and COI-5P sequences showed that G. pusillum var. pakistanicum was a distinct species in this complex, and based on these molecular, and previous morphological results, this variety is elevated to the rank of species as Gelidium pakistanicum stat. nov.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4282 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALENTINA F. ORLOVA ◽  
NIKOLAY A. JR. POYARKOV ◽  
MARINA A. CHIRIKOVA ◽  
ROMAN A. NAZAROV ◽  
MUNKHBAYAR MUNKHBAATAR ◽  
...  

We provide an integrative analysis of the diversity of the E. multiocellata—E. przewalskii species complex in Central and Middle Asia using morphological and molecular (COI DNA-barcoding) data. We report preliminary data on mtDNA variation within this group and clarify the taxonomic status and distribution of the members of the species complex. We also provide a description of a new Eremias species from Eastern Kazakhstan and western Mongolia, where it occurs in sympatry with E. multiocellata sensu stricto, from which it can be clearly differentiated using both morphological and molecular characters. The new species, described as Eremias dzungarica sp. nov., is assigned to the subgenus Pareremias on the basis of the following features: subocular not reaching mouth edge; one frontonasal; two supraoculars; the row of small granular scales between supraoculars and frontal with frontoparietals absent; distance between the femoral pore rows being wide; femoral pore rows not reaching knee-joint; coloration pattern with light colored ocelli with black edging. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners on the basis of the following morphological attributes: a medium-sized lacertid lizard, maximum snout-vent length (SVL) = 64.5 mm, tail being ca. 1.5 times longer than body length (SVL), hindlimbs relatively long (hindlimb length to SVL ratio 0.46); subocular scale not reaching mouth edge, in touch with 6–8 supralabials; males with bright coloration consisting of 2–3 dorsolateral rows of light-colored ocelli with thick black edging; the ventral row of ocelli in life is greenish to bluish; dorsal pattern consisting of black irregular blotches along the middorsal line. We also report on the high genetic and morphological diversity of E. multiocellata in Mongolia and China, synonymize E. m. bannikowi with the nominative form E. m. multiocellata, discuss variation within E. przewalskii, synonymize E. p. tuvensis with the nominative form E. przewalskii, provide new data on E. cf. reticulata and E. m. tsaganbogdensis, confirm validity and clarify distribution ranges of E. stummeri, E. szczerbaki and E. yarkandensis and discuss further progress on taxonomic studies of the E. multiocellata—E. przewalskii species complex. 


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